Man arrested after beating other man with barrel of an AR-15, police say

SALMON — A 46-year-old man was arrested after police say he attacked a man by hitting him in the head with an AR-15.

Brandon Eder is charged with felonies for aggravated battery and aggravated assault, and a misdemeanor for disturbing the peace.

According to court documents, officers with the Salmon Police Department were dispatched to a home in Salmon on Jan. 18 for a report of a man who had been threatened and hit over the head with an AR-15.

When officers arrived, they spoke with the victim, who had a “large swollen bump surrounding a deep laceration in the middle of his forehead” and “blood running down his face, neck and jacket.”

The victim said he was in his trailer house when he heard loud music coming from his next-door neighbor’s driveway. He told officers that the music was so loud “that pictures were falling off the walls of his home.”

The man reportedly went outside to ask his neighbor to turn down the music. Court records say he told officers he had a “positive relationship” with his neighbor. When he went outside, he noticed the music was coming from a white pickup truck in his neighbor’s driveway.

He approached the truck, where a man the victim did not know was sitting in the driver’s seat, and his female neighbor was in the passenger seat.

The driver rolled down the window, and the victim asked him to turn down the music. After a “brief conversation,” the man, later identified as Eder, reportedly got out of the truck, opened up a back door and pulled out an AR-15 rifle.

The victim says Eder pointed the gun at his face and said, “I’m either going to beat your a** or shoot you.”

Eder then allegedly “shoved the barrel of the rifle into (the victim’s) face, hitting him in the mouth.” The victim says he grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it to the side away from his face, but Eder “pulled the rifle back and quickly swung it like a baseball bat and struck “the victim” on the top of the forehead, leaving the laceration.”

According to the victim, Eder then got back into his truck and left.

Officers spoke to the female neighbor, who said she had been on a date with “Derrick.” Officers say the woman referred to Eder as Derrick and said he was her boyfriend, but said she did not know his last name and did not have any social media accounts to identify him.

Later, deputies said she told them “Derrick” was a fake name that she used to cover for Eder.

According to the woman, she had been on a date with Eder, and he was showing her his new stereo system in his truck. She said the victim arrived in the driveway and that he and Eder “exchanged words.”

The woman says Eder then took a rifle out of the back seat and hit the victim with it. She said she got out of the truck to stop him, but by the time she got around the truck, the victim was “already bleeding,” and Eder “quickly got back into his truck and left without saying anything.”

The victim was transported to Steele Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

According to police reports, Eder has previous felony convictions, making him unable to possess a firearm. At the time of this incident, Eder was also charged in other incidents regarding aggravated assault, first-degree stalking, attempted strangulation in the presence of a child, second-degree kidnapping and domestic battery.

He was arrested and booked into the Lemhi County Jail on a $150,000 bond. He posted bail on Jan. 22 and was released. A no-contact order was issued for the victim.

Eder is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 9. If convicted, he could face up to 20 and a half years in prison.

Though Eder has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.